Ways of Destiny
by AnimationGirl
Summary: She had left them all to find answers. Trying to understand her, they had let her do it, hoping for her to return. But months after, Shifu accidently meets her and is surprised when she doesn't turn away. This night, she'll find the answers she is looking for. One-shot


A/N: Here I am with another one-shot! You may think 'what?', but the thing is that I have two incomplete KFP-one-shots, which I haven't been brave enough to post. I am actually very scared of my viewers' response to my stories, which may surprise you. So if I said that I have two _tragedy _one-shots, what would you then say? Should I post them? PLEASE tell me!

Random idea which I gave the chance to become a one-shot. Hope you'll like it.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

**Ways of Destiny **

He truly hadn't expected to see her here. Just seeing her again was something that he thought would never happen. But she was standing right in front of him, only some meters away.

She was standing by a stall with fruit, picking up an apple. Shifu watched carefully as she held up some few coins, but then put them back inside her vest. She gave the apple back to the stall's owner, and was about to leave when she spotted him.

In a moment they had eye contact, and she didn't break it.

He did.

But only because he was by her side in a second. Quickly finding some coins of his owns, he gave them to the owner. "This should be enough." With that he took an apple and held it towards the stunned tigress beside him.

Shifu remembered how he once had held out a domino.

Tigress hesitated, but then accepted his offer and took the fruit from his little hand.

"Can we walk?" he asked her, and she nodded silently.

When they could only see the village in the distance, Shifu decided to break the silence. "How are you?" he asked nervously, wriggling his hands. Stupid question, but it was needed.

"Very good. Thank you," she answered without even looking at him. Her glance was focusing on something ahead of her; the disappearing sun, maybe.

"It's long time since…" He stopped as he searched for the right words. "We last saw you."

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

Shifu watched her, but didn't dare to say anything. Now he had finally found her, and he didn't want her to push her away. He knew that if she wanted to leave now, she could do it. He wouldn't be able to stop her.

Just like the last time.

The red panda sighed, causing her to look at him. She still looked the same, actually. Her clothes were a bit messy and her face looked tired, but else than that it was like she had never left.

"Are you happy?" he asked her, finally. The question had haunted him since he had found out that she was gone. Now he finally had the chance to get an answer.

But she became quiet, moving her glance again.

That was when the anger came. "I haven't seen you in months and then you won't talk to me?" he asked, sounding harsher than he wanted. But what he meant was true.

How dared she? How dared she ignore him now? After how he had spent his nights sleepless, because he was worried about her. How he had searched for her in weeks, until he finally understood that she didn't want to come back. How he had cried because had had realized his own mistakes.

"There is nothing to say," she told him softly.

"That's not an answer."

"I know."

Shifu stopped walking and she did the same. He was clutching Oogway's staff, and looked up at her with a pained expression. "An explanation would be nice," he managed to get out.

"I thought my letters…"

"They told us what you wanted to do," Shifu told her. "Not if you managed it."

Tigress eyes widened, but then she looked away again. "It's hard…" Her shoulder shook slightly, but then she straightened her back. "But I am trying." She paused, sinking her spit. "How are the others?"

Shifu could hear the pain in her voice. This wasn't easy for her, either. "They are struggling. Losing you was hard for them."

"Is Po…?"

"He is trying to be their leader. Trying to be you, actually," Shifu told her, remembering how Po had been the last time he had seen him.

"Are they mad?" Her voice had reached the point where it was almost breaking. Shifu had to stop himself from holding her paw to comfort her.

His blue eyes caught hers. "They are trying to understand."

"And what about you?"

"I want to understand," he told her, the question hitting him hard. "But cannot."

Tigress sharply inhaled some air through her nose, closing her eyes. "I wish you could; it would make it easier."

Shifu suddenly found himself back at that morning when he realized she was gone. It had been so unexpected; he had talked with her the night before, and nothing had told him that something like that would happen.

The morning gong had sounded, but she hadn't been there to greet him. Sharing his students' confusion and worry, he had opened the door to her room, only to find that she wasn't there.

Instead she had left a letter to each of them, explaining why she had made her decision. That she needed to find some answers; both about her past and her future. That she was sorry and she would miss them, but that she maybe would return.

They had all tried to find her the days after that. But she had disappeared without a trace; only taking a few of her belongings with her. They then realized that if the tiger didn't want to be found, then they wouldn't be able to do it.

With no other choice, they had continued their lives, trying to move forward. But the hope of her coming back to them remained.

Shifu blinked as he came back to reality. Tigress was walking beside him, right there. She wasn't gone anymore, but if he wasn't careful, she would be.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Tigress told him. "This is far away from the valley."

"It is…" Shifu said while nodding. "But I heard some rumors… About a tiger in a village. It wasn't this one, though. I was on my way home when I saw you." He paused and smiled. "And by the look of your face you clearly was surprised when you saw me."

Tigress calmly smiled back. "Shocked, actually."

"But you didn't turn away," Shifu said, the fact confusing him.

"No, I didn't."

"Why?" he asked. If she didn't want to come back to the palace, then why were they walking together right now?

Tigress' eyes were distant, but her smile remained. "I just couldn't."

"I am glad you didn't," Shifu quickly said. "And that you want to talk with me."

"None of you are the problem," Tigress told him. "I am. And that is why I needed to leave."

"You are not a problem…"

She cut him off. "Maybe not for you. But that does not change my feelings."

"Then tell me what you feel," he begged her, standing in front of her. "I am not just letting you go again."

Tigress face changed, like she was looking at a child that couldn't understand. "I am able of taking care of myself, Shifu. I thought leaving would prove that."

"I was worried," he told her. "I didn't know if you even had a place to sleep."

"You taught me how to live outdoors long time ago. It's not like I am helpless." When he didn't answer, she called his name. "Shifu?"

He walked away from her to sit on a nearby fallen log. The red panda didn't say anything as she followed him and sat down beside him. "Can you forgive me?" she whispered. "I know that you are angry…"

"You left."

"I did."

He looked up to meet her glance. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

"You wouldn't understand…"

"You are searching for answers. I know that much," he told her. "You didn't tell the rest."

Tigress sighed, and suddenly Shifu couldn't hold it back. "You found out who your real parents are, didn't you?" he asked breathless.

The tiger widened her eyes. "What?"

He cleared his throat. "I just assumed that was the reason. It made sense."

"I am searching for them, yes, but I don't even think they are alive," she said quickly, looking shocked. "They are not the reason why I am doing this."

"Then what is?" he asked.

The stars had come out to shine at them, and Shifu noticed how quiet everything was. His students back at the palace were probably sleeping, only to find out when they would awake that he still wasn't there. Maybe they would wonder why he was late, but they would never guess that he was with Tigress. They had all given up that idea of finding her.

"Accidents," she spat out bitterly. "That's the only reason why I ended up in the Jade Palace."

"What do you mean?"

She turned to look at him. "What if I wasn't supposed to be a warrior?"

"I don't understand…"

"When Master Oogway heard of me, it was only because the villagers were talking so loud. What if he hadn't heard them? What if you hadn't come to Bao Gu? Then everything would have ended up different. Maybe I am not supposed to be what I am," Tigress tried to explain.

Shifu shook his head. "You are who you are. Noting can change that. And they are no accidents."

"But what if my destiny isn't to be a warrior?" Tigress asked, eyes desperate. "Po grew up in a noodle shop. His father made noodles. Po was taught how to make noodles. He is good at it, he likes doing it. Eating them also, actually. You would think that he was supposed to make noodles the rest of his life. But yet, he became the Dragon Warrior."

"It was his destiny…" Shifu said, feeling like he was falling over his own words.

Tigress nodded. "And what if my destiny wants to lead me to something else than Kung Fu."

"You love doing it," Shifu said weakly, ears hanging.

"But what if there is something else out there that I would love more?"

"If you keep thinking like that, then you will never be able to stay anywhere," Shifu told her sternly.

She closed her eyes. "I know."

"Then why not just stay at the Jade Palace?"

"It's… So many things could have happened, and I would never have ended up there. How do I know if I belong there?"

"It's your home," Shifu tried.

She shook her head. "What if hadn't found me? What if I had grown up to be a seamstress or something like that? What if I would have ended up more happy then in the palace if I…" She was unable to finish the sentence, and Shifu saw the shame in her eyes.

"I am glad I found you," he admitted. "And a life without you…" He shook his head, sadly. "I understood if you left for searching for your parents. It would have made so much sense. I was never a good parent… Oh, who am I trying to fool? I wasn't even a parent!"

He stood up, starting to walk back and forth. "If you left because of me… I would have understood that! But something as foolish as trying to find your destiny…?"

"I'm sorry," she told him, but he shook his head rapidly.

"No, you shouldn't be. I am the one who is sorry," he said. "I treated you wrong and I knew it all the time. I was just never brave enough to realize it. Can you forgive me?" he begged, but continued speaking before she could reply. "You were never Tai Lung. I knew that from the start. I was just so scared, so naïve after what had happened. I thought I was protecting you."

"You did," she said softly.

"No. I hurt you. That is something different. I told myself I did it because I loved you deep inside, and that I couldn't bear to lose another child. But I was just a too big coward to let you know how much I cared about you." He sighed, eyes hurting as he refused to let the tears fall. "And I forced you out of your own home."

Tigress widened her eyes, walking forward to comfort him. "You did not," she whispered.

"If you had known that I thought of you as my daughter, would you then have left?" he asked her, knowing the answer.

She just stared at him, eyes slowly filled with tears. "I wasn't angry at you," she finally said. "In the start, maybe, but I understood. I understood all the time."

Shifu leaped forward to throw his arms around her neck. "Can you forgive me?"

"I already did," she told him in his embrace. "Can you forgive me?"

"Foolish girl," he said and pulled away, only to kiss her on her forehead. "I only blamed myself."

Tigress sat down on the ground, trying to understand what had just happened. "Was I completely wrong?" she asked, cursing herself from hurting everyone she cared about.

"Finding your destiny is hard; following it's easier," Shifu told her softly. "And if you ask me, I would say that your destiny is at the Jade Palace. And I can never say how sorry I am for making you feel lost."

She smiled, and it said everything you needed to hear.

"I know it's very late, but I love you, my daughter."

Tigress looked up, eyes sparkling. "I love you too, dad."

Shifu sighed, suddenly feeling relieved. "If you come back home, I know they'll be very happy," he told her, knowing her thoughts.

"I hurt them," she said quietly. "Because I was a fool."

"They just want you to come home," Shifu said. "And if we start walking now, we might be back in the valley when the sun rises."

Tigress smiled. "I would love to see that sight."

She stood up and he was by her side. As they walked Shifu said, "For curious reasons, I have to ask if these months revealed anything for you?"

Tigress nodded as she watched the moon in the distance. "That I miss you all very much."

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoy this stupid one-shot. You have no ideas of how hard it was posting it. I just felt like you would all hate it.

But I am sick, lying in bed, having a writer's block, and determined to get rid of it. So I made this.

If you look in my first author's note, you will find a question. I will be happy if you had the time to answer.

Thank you for reading.


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